Adelaide Thibodeaux grew up with Dempsey Reynaud, and she's worked for him for years. But when the billionaire football coach springs a surprise engagement to keep her from resigning, it's a low blow. Just as she's ready to strike out on her own, she's stuck in a fake relationship with her boss, biding her time…

But soon Adelaide faces a second blow: she's actually falling for the man! Can a relationship founded on a lie become the real deal? Or will they fumble before the end zone—and stay in the friend zone?

“You can’t
leave now.” He didn’t have time to hash this out. And he would damn well have
his way.

“I’m going
after the press conference. I told you I would come back for the pre-season,
and now it’s done.” Frowning, she twisted the bracelet round and round on her
wrist. “I shouldn’t have returned this year at all, especially if this ends up
causing hard feelings between us. But I can send your next assistant all my
files.”

How kind. He
clamped his mouth shut against the scathing responses that simmered, close to
boiling over. He deserved better from her and she knew it.

But if she
was going to see him through the press conference, he still had forty minutes
to change her mind. Forty minutes to figure out a way to force her hand. A way
to make her stay by his side through the season.

All he needed
was the right play call.

“In that
case, I appreciate the heads-up,” he said, planting his hands on her waist and
shuffling her away from the door. “But I’d better get this press conference
started now.”

Her eyes
widened as he touched her, but she stepped aside, hectic color rising in her
cheeks even though they’d always been just friends. He’d protected that
friendship because it was special. She was special. He’d never wanted to sacrifice
that relationship to something as fickle as attraction even though there’d
definitely been moments over the years when he’d been tempted. But logic and
reason—and respect for Adelaide—had always won out in the past. Then again,
he’d never touched her the way he had today and it was messing with his head.
Seeing that awareness on her face now, feeling the answering kick of it in his
blood, made him wonder if—

“Of course we
need to get to the conference.” She grabbed her earpiece and shoved it into place
as she bit her lip. “Let’s go.”

He held the
door for her, watching as she hurried up the hallway ahead of him, the subtle
sway of her hips making his hands itch for a better feel of her. No doubt about
it, she was going to be angry with him. In time, she would see he had her best
interests at heart.

But he had
the perfect plan to keep her close and the ideal venue—a captive audience full
of media members—to execute it. As much as he regretted hurting a friend, he
also knew she would understand at a gut level if she knew him half as well as
he thought she did.

Three-time RITA nominee Joanne
Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn't like. The author of
over seventy novels enjoys writing contemporary romance and medieval
historicals alike, recently exploring Young Adult romance under a pseudonym. An
optimist by nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds
romance–in all its forms-- fits her life outlook perfectly. When she's not
writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite sports teams play
with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded sons.